Masdar and EDF start construction deal with 300MW solar plant in Saudi Arabia

• A consortium between Abu Dhabi-based Masdar, EDF Renewables and Nesma Holding Company has broken ground on a 300MW PV project in Saudi Arabia.

The Jeddah solar plant, situated 50km south-east of the city of Jeddah, will certainly feature bifacial modules as well as single-axis trackers, while robotics will certainly be utilized to cleanse the modules.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy awarded the partners the plant after they sent one of the most cost-competitive proposal of US$ 0.0162/ kWh. They have signed a 25-year power acquisition contract, that includes the plant's design, building and construction and procedure.

The Jeddah project forms part of the second round of Saudi Arabia's renewable resource program, consisting of seven solar projects with a total capability of around 1.5 GW. The kingdom is intending to get to 27.3 GW of renewables capability by 2024 as well as create 50% of its energy from renewables by 2030.

Along with the solar partnership, EDF Renewables as well as Masdar are partnering on a 400MW wind ranch in Saudi Arabia that is readied to be operational by late 2022. The firms have actually also joined pressures to develop solar projects in Abu Dhabi and also Israel.

Bruno Bensasson, EDF Group elderly exec vice-president renewable energies, said both projects in Saudi Arabia "are flawlessly in accordance with the EDF Group's CAP 2030 method, which targets at increasing its renewable energy net capability in operation worldwide, between 2015 and also 2030, from 28 to 60GW net".

In Other Places in Saudi Arabia's PV market, a joint venture was launched last year to develop a green hydrogen project powered by 4GW of solar and also other sustainable sources. Anticipated ahead online in 2025, the facility will produce around 650 tons of hydrogen per day as well as 1.2 million tons of green ammonia annually.

At the same time, a joint venture concentrated on dispersed solar generation for Saudi Arabia's business and also industrial sector was developed last month by oil major Total as well as industrial empire Zahid Group.